Welcome to Tiya’s House
International luxury resort South Palms Resort and Spa Panglao managed by MGallery unveiled Tiya’s House (“Aunt’s House” in English) — a destination dining concept where three islands gather under one roof to tell the full story of Filipino cuisine. The venue for events within the hotel premises brings Bohol a unique and progressive tasting menu experience.
South Palms Resort and Spa Panglao-MGallery Collection is a beachfront retreat on a powder-soft beach. Overlooking the turquoise sea, this design-led resort blends natural elegance with an eco-conscious mindset, including farm-to-table dining, sensory spa treatments, and cultural experiences rooted in Boholano traditions. Suitable for families, guests can enjoy reef snorkeling, diving at a nearby shipwreck, or hands-on activities like animal feeding (at the hotel’s nearby farm, South Farm) and workshops, creating a deep connection with the sustainable island lifestyle. The South Palms everyone grew up with is still there but has been renamed Oceanica.
Set within an ancestral beachfront house (it was once the house of one of the owners) designed as a dining destination, Tiya’s House features three private dining rooms named for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, each representing a distinct culinary territory. Every month, Tiya’s House will host a degustation series that positions the space as a platform where guest chefs can push the boundaries of what Filipino food can be. The place is not open as a restaurant (for now) but can be used for functions or special events.
The Resort’s culinary consultant Bettina Arguelles, the first Filipina executive chef at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, helmed the inaugural series. She prepared three menus highlighting each of the three main islands of the Philippines. I had the opportunity to try the menu combining the best of the country for the opening dinner of Tiya’s House.
“There are ingredients and techniques that are dying because no one wants to make them anymore — they’re time-consuming, too labor-intensive,” she says. “I’m working with flavors we grew up with that the next generation might never taste. That’s what drives this menu.”
Bettina’s heirloom recipes menu is built on local and regional ingredients and some are seasonal and not grown in scale. Bettina sourced mangrove clams from local fishermen, baboy ramo (wild boar) from South Farm, lemongrass from the resort’s grounds and carissa carandas (Bengal currant) from a friend’s farm in Bacolod. “No matter how humble an ingredient may seem, it deserves a spotlight,” she says. Oyster sinuglaw is charcoal-grilled and paired with tapioca chips. Baboy ramo lechon served two ways — carved and served with puso (rice wrapped in coconut leaves) and liver sauce and paksiw (simmered in vinegar and peppercorns) and served with tuslob buwa (gravy with sautéed pork brains) — a Cebuano street food sauce rarely seen in fine dining.
Native chicken is cooked pyanggang-style — a Mindanao style using blackened coconut palapa (a Maranao condiment made of ginger, coconut, onion, and garlic). Bohol’s famous artisanal salt asin tibuok seasons nearly every dish.
Bettina’s Ensaladang Talong is charred eggplant topped with caviar, fresh market seafood from the Bohol Market that included fresh local sea urchin, and bihod (local fish roe). Her version of Halabos na Hipon made use of a poached jumbo prawn from South Farm served with pancit buko (coconut noodles), prawn emulsion, and latik (caramelized coconut cream). Bettina deconstructed the classic KBL or kadios, baboy, at langka (pigeon peas, pork, and jackfruit) by making a dish with kadios puree, batwan lechon kawali (crispy fried pork belly seasoned with batwan, a local souring agent), pulled langka, and unoy (Cordillera heirloom rice) popped rice.
Bettina says, “We hardly use anything imported. We don’t need to.” It’s a philosophy that extends to Tiya’s Bar, which showcases native Filipino spirits such as tapuey (Cordillera rice wine). The Tiya’s Katawa features homegrown tarragon, kalabo, and citrus. The Bagoong Highball uses bagoong (fermented shrimp) washed smoked tapuey.
General manager of South Palms Panglao MGallery Danish Khan shares, “Tiya’s House came from our three core principles: the art of being Tiya — the matriarchal spirit of Filipino hospitality, the potting shed where our bartender cultivates local herbs for our signature drinks, and our fishing heritage, where art and artifacts throughout Tiya’s House tell the story of the livelihood and people whose traditions live on across Bohol. We’ve translated those principles into three private dining rooms and distinct menus representing culinary territories that together tell the full story of Filipino cuisine. This is how we honor our Boholano roots while pushing Bohol’s dining scene forward.”
(Tiya’s House opened last month with Chef Bettina Arguelles’ inaugural degustation menu. The monthly series will continue with rotating guest chefs from across the Philippines. For inquiries, email [email protected] or call +63 038 507 0010.)
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